What does comedones mean?
Comedones are the medical term for clogged pores — specifically the small plugs of sebum and dead skin cells that form within hair follicles. When the pore remains open and its contents darken through oxidation, the result is a blackhead, formally an open comedone; when the pore stays sealed at the surface, trapping the material beneath the skin as a small pale bump, it forms a closed comedone, or whitehead. Comedones are the hallmark of comedonal acne, the mildest form of the condition, and are a central concern in dermatology and professional skincare, where treatments such as retinoids, salicylic acid, and manual extraction aim to clear and prevent them. The word derives from the Latin comedere, meaning 'to eat up', a vivid metaphor suggesting that these lesions consume the skin's oils. Though common in everyday life, 'comedones' itself belongs mostly to clinical and cosmetic vocabulary; general readers are far likelier to encounter the friendlier terms 'blackheads' and 'whiteheads'.
nounComedones are small, clogged pores in the skin — the clinical term for blackheads (open comedones) and whiteheads (closed comedones). The word is the plural of 'comedo'.
- Small, clogged hair follicles in the skin, appearing either as dark-surfaced blackheads (open comedones) or flesh-colored bumps beneath the skin (closed comedones); used chiefly in dermatology and skincare contexts.
"The dermatologist gently extracted several comedones from the patient's nose during the facial."
"Retinoids work by speeding up cell turnover, which helps prevent new comedones from forming."
"On close inspection, the esthetician noted dozens of closed comedones across the client's forehead."
'Comedones' is inherently a plural form; the rarely used singular is 'comedo'. In clinical writing the plural is strongly preferred, as these lesions typically occur in numbers.
"The patient presented with numerous comedones across the T-zone."
A comedone's name comes from the Latin for 'glutton' — doctors imagined each blackhead greedily devouring oil and dead skin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does comedones come from?
Comedones derives from the Latin comedere, formed from com- ('together, thoroughly') plus edere ('to eat'), originally meaning 'to devour' or 'to eat up'. The term was adopted into medical Latin to describe skin blemishes on the vivid but fanciful notion that they appeared to be consuming the flesh. It entered English medical usage in the 17th century, when physicians used 'comedo' for various bodily growths before the sense narrowed to clogged pores. The root shares ancestry with English words such as 'edible', 'comestible', and 'obese', all tracing back to the Latin verb edere.
Related word forms
How comedones is actually used
'Comedones' is a technical term used primarily by dermatologists, aestheticians, and skincare professionals; lay speakers usually say 'blackheads' or 'whiteheads' instead. It functions as a plural noun whose singular, 'comedo', is rarely used outside clinical literature. The adjective 'comedonal' describes acne characterized mainly by comedones, while 'comedogenic' describes substances that tend to cause them.
Easily confused with comedones
'Comedones' are clogged skin pores (plural of 'comedo'), while 'comedown' is a noun meaning a decline in status, mood, or the unpleasant aftermath of drug use.
'Comedo' is the singular form referring to one clogged pore, whereas 'comedones' refers to two or more of them.